Spring coiling machine



Dec. 15, 1964 w. HEDIGER 3,161,224

SPRING COILING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

/NVENTO/-?= WALTER HEmesrz )7! W W0 7M4 ATT'ORNE Y9 Dec. 15, 1964 w. HEDIGER 3,161,224

SPRING COILING MACHINE Filed se' t. 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.5

IN VENTOR WALTER' HEDIGER M W and TM ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 15., 1964 3,161,224 SPRING COILING MACHINE Walter Hediger, Schonenwerd, Switzerland, assignor to Storenund Maschinenfabrik Emil Schenker A.-G., Schonenwerd, Switzerland Filed Sept. 26, 1%1, Ser. No. 140,804 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Sept. 28, 1960, 10,968/ 60 2 Claims. (Cl. 153-65) In known spring coiling machines the spring wire to be coiled is fed through a rigid guiding means and pushed against one or two successive coiling tools, by which the spring wire is continuously bent to form circular coils. The position of the coiling tools relatively to each other and with respect to the wire emerging from the guiding means is decisive for the diameter of the coil and for the lead or pitch of the spring. The position of the coiling tool or tools can be adjusted so that springs of different diameter can be coiled. When the coiling diameter and the lead of a spring are constant, then the adjustment will be fixed. The adjustment may automatically vary for coiling non-cylindrical springs.

Numerous arrangements for adjusting the coiling tools are known. Usually, the coiling tools are mounted in holders which are supported on slides so as to be interchangeable and often also adjustable, the guiding means of said slides being stationary or pivotable. Two adjusting devices may be provided, by means of which the two slides can be adjusted independently of each other. However, a single adjusting device for simultaneously setting the two slides may also be provided in which particular case it is known for obtaining positive interaction of both slides to couple the latter together by a crank arm or by gears.

In winding springs the coiling tools are subjected to wear which depends on the ratio between winding diameter and wire diameter. This wear renders it necessary to occasionally exchange and sometimes redress the coiling tools. In known spring coiling machines for exchanging the coiling tools, their adjustment must be abandoned and the slides retracted in order to be able to release the coiling tool holder, and after completion of the tool exchange the slides must be adjusted completely anew. This interchange of the coiling tools is time consuming and troublesome and often much skill and patience is required to reset the tools to a position in which the properties of the springs made with the new setting of the tools are sufficiently identical, as far as diameter, pitch and constant of resiliency are concerned, with those of the previous batch made with the preceding adjustment of the tools.

It is an object of the invention to avoid the disadvantage pointed out above. According to the invention a spring coiling machine, having at least one coiling tool and a holder therefor mounted on a slide which is operatively connected with an adjusting mechanism, comprises a quick-withdrawal quick-return mechanism arranged between the slide and its adjusting mechanism, permitting the exchange of the coiling tools without interfering with the position of adjustment of the slide. Suitably, an eccentric with a connecting lever linked thereon is mounted on a movable portion of the adjusting mechanism, said connecting lever bearing on an adjustable support on the movable portion and having its free end in operative connection with the slide carrier, while the axis of rotation of the eccentric is rigidly connected to a handle and rotatable through substantially 180.

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating, by way of example, several embodiments of the invention, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation of a spring coiling machine according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a setting mechanism of a one-finger coiling tool,

FIGURE 3 is a setting mechanism of a two-finger coiling tool,

FIGURE 4 shows a rapidly acting quick-withdrawal quick-return mechanism, and

FIGURE 5 shows a section through the mechanism according to FIGURE 4 on the line A--A.

In the spring coiling machine according to FIGURE 1 three individually adjustable tool slides are arranged in a manner known per se, namely a horizontal slide 11 provided with a coiling finger 12, a vertical slide 13 situated above the spring to be coiled and carrying a leading key 14, and a vertical slide 15 positioned underneath the spring to be coiled and fitted with a cutter 16. Wire feeding means are arranged opposite the carrier 11 and comprise a wire guiding means 17, a plurality of directing rolls 18 and two coiling rolls 19 through which the spring wire is fed and pushed against the coiling finger 12, on which the wire is continuously bent to curve into a coil spring. The leading key 14 serves for obtaining leads or pitches greater than the size of the wire diameter or for coiling springs having initial tension. The cutter 16 serves to cut the wire of the coiled spring.

Associated with each carrier 11 or 13 or 15 is an adjusting mechanism which comprises a plate 23 or 24 or 25, respectively, pivotable about a pin 20, 21 or 22, respectively, each plate being operatively connected to its particular slide by means of a coupling lever 26, 27 or 28, respectively; each plate is provided with a setting lever 29, 30 or 31, which in winding springs having constant diameter and constant lead, abuts against a set screw 32, 33 or 34, respectively, or, when winding springs having variable diameter and/or variable lead and when cutting ofi the spring wire, these setting levers are defiected by a cam disk 38, 39 or 40, respectively, by means of an intermediate lever 35, 36 or 37, respectively. Between each slide carrier 11, 13 or 15 and its associated adjusting mechanism a quick-withdrawal quickreturn mechanism is arranged, comprising on the plates 23, 24 or 25 a handle 41, 42 or 43, respectively, which is so connected to the coupling lever 26 or 37 or 28 that in turning said handle the respective slide carrier will be quickly retracted, or withdrawn, from its adjusted position, while when the handle is moved back to its original position, the slide will be quickly returned into its adjusted position.

FIGURE 2 shows the adjusting mechanism of the onefinger coiling tool of FIGURE 1 drawn to a larger scale. The slide 11 moves along a guide 50 and supports a tool holder 51 in which the coiling finger 12 is mounted. The position of the tool holder 51 relative to the slide 11 is marked by an abutment 52 for the purpose of relocating the particular position when exchanging the tool holder 51, and the latter is fixed to the slide 11 by means of a clamping lever 53. In order to be able to accurately adjust the slide 11, a scale 54 is placed underneath the set screw 32 for marking the fixed adjustment of the latter. For adjusting the automatic displacement, the adjusting lever 29 is provided with a travelling member 55 which can be adjusted for lengthwise movement with respect to a scale 57 by means of a screw 56 and clamped in fixed position by a lever 58. The travelling member 55 supports a roll 59 bearing on the intermediate lever 35 which is pivotable about a pin 60 and carries a roll 61 bearing against a cam disk 38, e.g. an eccentric. The coupling lever as is linked to the slide 11 by means of a pin 62. As described later in connection with FIGURE 4, the handle 41 of the quick-withdrawal quick-return mechanism is connected by an eccentric to the coupling lever 26, the pivoting point of which i displaceable with re-. 7,

spect to a scale 64 by means of a screw 63. The handle 41 bears against an abutment pin 65. The rapid withdrawal of the slide 11 is effected by changing the handle 41 to the position 41', in'which the handle bears against an abutting pin 66. For rapid return, the handle 41 is returned to the abutment '65, where the slide accurately assumes againits original position. In case of a shortening of the finger 12 caused by a repeated dressing thereof, the position of this finger may be corrected by adjusting the screw 63 or by displacing the hinge pin 62 by means of an eccentric 67 without the necessity of changing the nominal adjustment relatively to the scales 54 or 57.

FIGURE 3 shows an adjusting device, corresponding to that represented in FIGURE 2, but provided for simultaneously adjusting two coiling tools 70, 71 which are clamped each in a holder 72 and 73, respectively, which in turn are fixed on a slide 76 or 77 by a fingerpiece 74 or 75. The two slides 76, 77 move in paths forming an angle of 45 with'each other. The slides 76, 77 are coupled to each other by a crank arm 78 pivotally mounted on a bolt 79, the crank arm 78 carrying a roll 80 on its free end bearing on an extension 81 of the slide 76, and an adjusting screw 82 intermediate its ends bearing against an extension 83 of the slide 77. Between the adjusting mechanism which is the same as described with reference to FIGURE 2, and the slide 7 6, a quick-withdrawal quick-return mechanism is mounted, this mechanism including a coupling lever 87 linked by'means of an eccentric to a pivotable handle 86 mounted on the plate 84 which in this case is of somewhat elongate shape and pivotable about the. pin 85; the lever 87 bears on an adjusting's'crew 88 forming an adjustable fulcrum and carries on its free end a roll 89 which is urged against the extension 81 of the slide 76. The handle 86 bears on an abutting pin 90 and when this handle is angularly moved until contacting a pin 91, the coupling lever 87 is pivoted downwards, so that both slides can move backwards, and when returning the handle 86 to its position contacting the abutment 90, the slides are moved again into their original positions.

In FIGURES 4 and the quick-withdrawal quick-return mechanism just described is more clearly illustrated. A U-shaped supporting member includes a front plate 84, a web portion 92 and. a rear plate 93. The handle 86 is supported with a journal pin 94 in the plate 84 and with a journal pin 95 in the rear plate 93. The two journal pins are interconnected by an eccentric bolt 96, to which the coupling lever 87 is linked so as to be situated between the plates 84 and 93. The coupling lever 87 has a seating face 97 by means of which it rests upon the front end of an adjusting screw 88 which is screwed through the web portion 92 and'prov-ides an adjustable fulcrum. The position of adjustment of the fulcrum can be read on a graduated scale 30.

On a machine according to FIGURE 1 the one-finger coiling device according to FIGURE 2 can be exchanged by a two-finger coiling device according to FIGURE 3.

In simple manner, solely by angularly moving a handle through180 from one abutment to another, the invention permits to remove the tool slides from their operative position for the purpose of exchanging the coiling tools and to move them back again into operative position, without interfering with their adjustment.

I claim:

1.' A machine for coiling wire into spring comprising a coiling tool, a holder therefor, a slide carrying the holder,

' adjusting mechanism operatively connected. with said slide for positioning thetool, and quick-withdrawal quick return means, disposed between said slide and its adjusting mechanism for withdrawing, and returning, said slide from, and to, its adjusted position, said adjusting mechanism including a movable plate, a rotatable eccentric pin mounted on said plate, a coupling lever journalled on said pin, an adjustable supporting member carried by said References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,453,431 Blount May 1, 1923 1,795,767 Ekstedt Mar. 10, 1931 2,820,505 'Franks et a1. Jan. 21, 1958 Pearson Nov. 28, 1961 

1. A MACHINE FOR COILING WIRE INTO SPRING COMPRISING A COILING TOOL, A HOLDER THEREFOR, A SLIDE CARRYING THE HOLDER ADJUSTING MECHANISM OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID SLIDE FOR POSITIONING THE TOOL, AND QUICK-WITHDRAWAL QUICK RETURN MEANS, DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SLIDE AND ITS ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR WITHDRAWING, AND RETURNING, SAID SLIDE FROM, AND TO, ITS ADJUSTED POSITION, SAID ADJUSTING MECHANISM INCLUDING A MOVABLE PLATE, A ROTATABLE ECCENTRIC PIN MOUNTED ON SAID PLATE, A COUPLING LEVER JOURNALLED ON SAID 